My mom forwarded me an email today about Bridge of Hope National, which is trying to expand Bridge of Hope more and more across the country. One of the main points of the newsletter that was forwarded was that one of their newest locations is in Harrisonburg!! It said, 

The first Bridge of Hope affiliate in the state of Virginia officially launched on February 23, 2009.  Praise God and congratulations to this strong group of local leaders that has been centered in prayer from the very beginning! 

Bridge of Hope Harrisonburg – Rockingham County’s next step is board organization and a two-day training with Bridge of Hope National.  During this time, the board will set family service goals and develop a work plan towards opening their office, hiring staff and beginning to serve families and mentors.  We look forward to the good things that God will do in and through them!

I’m excited about this and would love all of you who will be back in the fall to join me in helping them in the burg! I am going to contact Edith Yoder, the executive director of Bridge of Hope and ask her what opportunities are in Harrisonburg, and will keep you all updated on them. I think it would be a wonderful service thing for JMU students to get involved with and spread around campus. I also found a couple events in “what’s new at Bridge of Hope” and wanted to copy them below in case any of you will be in the area!

Upcoming Bridge of Hope information meetings – if you or someone you know lives in these communities, we invite you to join us!   
Philadelphia, Pa. – Tuesday, June 9, at 7pm at Palmer Theological Seminary
Blair County, Pa. – Tuesday, June 16, at 7pm at First United Methodist Church in Hollidaysburg
Springfield, Missouri – Tuesday, June 23, at 7pm at Global University
From Bridge of Hope National staff, some ideas for your summer reading:
Jesus Life Coach by Laurie Beth Jones
Living on Purpose by Christine & Tom Sine
Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren
Single mothers recently introduced to their mentoring groups by these newer affiliates (both now serving their first families):
Bridge of Hope of York County (Pa.)
Bridge of Hope Centre County (Pa.)

Today I looked at the Bridge of Hope Spring/Summer 2009 Newsletter and learned more about the organization. Bridge of Hope is now on facebook, and for my advocacy project I wanted to do some sort of facebook group for them and invite my friends to get the word out, which is what I might do so everyone can look at my group and go right to Bridge of Hope’s page! I also found more stories of success and how to get more involved with it. I also learned what a mentoring group actually is, and how to get one started. Although I don’t regularly attend my church, my parents are part of a church in my hometown of Lancaster and I showed them how to get a mentoring group started for our church.

What is a Bridge of Hope Mentoring Group?

Who is in a mentoring group?

• Eight to 12 people from within one congregation
• Women and men, young and old, married couples and singles
• People who are willing to establish an ongoing ministry of friendship with a homeless single mother and her children
• Individuals who have been trained to mentor homeless families and have made an initial commitment to befriend the family during the 12 to 18 months the woman is in Bridge of Hope and working towards financial self-sufficiency

How much time is involved?

• Weekly phone call to the woman being mentored
• Monthly individual activity with the woman and her children (such as watching a video, going grocery shopping or other things friends do together)
• Monthly attendance at Bridge of Hope Nights with the woman being mentored and the whole mentoring group (designed to strengthen mentoring relationships and provide ongoing training and support from Bridge of Hope staff)

Can anyone do it?

• If you can be a friend, you can be part of a mentoring group!

How are mentors supported?

• Four and one-half hours of training prior to meeting the family who will be mentored
• A staff-facilitated “match night” at which mentors and the family meet
• Monthly support and training by staff throughout the 12 to 18 month program
• Unlimited staff phone support for mentors

I wanted to share this with all of you in case you would want to start a mentoring group. It seems easy enough and I’ve heard from friends of my mom’s involved in the groups that the women love the friendship and value the time they get to spend with you more than anything. It sounds like a really enriching experience and something that doesn’t require too much commitment, but enough to make a difference in these children and mother’s lives.

Last weekend, I went to a Bridge of Hope spring gala luncheon. It was a fundraiser for the organization, and I could not believe how many people attended. My mom used to be on the board of this organization, so I went with her and some friends. People from all different church denominations, non-christians, new people who were interested in helping, and many more groups were there. We listened to a little bit about the organization and its history, and then watched a video of one of the mom’s presenting her success story. It was extremely touching, and she said, “Bridge of Hope and the mentors helped us to get through a very difficult time, and helped us to feel better about ourselves.  My mom and I are very grateful…” Simply, this is the goal of Bridge of Hope. To help mothers feel better and feel like they have something to live for.

The main speaker for the event (David Kraybill) talked about the Amish shootings that happened a couple years ago near Lancaster at Nickel Mines School, and the little children that were killed and what it means to the Amish to forgive, and why they are such an exceptional group of people. It tied so well into Bridge of Hope because even though it was a tragedy and so sad, it gave hope for the families and inspired everyone who was there.

The more I learn about Bridge of Hope, the more involved I want to become because each time I hear more stories and talk to the people in charge of it, I feel more motivated to help these mothers. Although it is a lot to try to do something in 4 weeks for this class, I’m trying to organize a brige of hope  meeting with some of my family’s friends and some friends from JMU this summer at some point. The website makes it easy when it says, 

The goal of this meeting is to gather 15+ people who attend a minimum of 6 different churches (representing 3+ denominations) in order to:

• Share your excitement about being a bridge of hope for single mothers and    children who are facing homelessness
• Explore local interest in building a Bridge of Hope in your community
• Invite those at the meeting to join you in launching a local Bridge of Hope

We will work with you and your team to plan and publicize your Bridge of Hope meeting. We’ll travel to your community at no charge to explain the program, answer questions and discuss how we might work together.  If those gathered decide to move forward, we’ll be there to help you take the next steps.

Clearly, anyone can do this and the support is there as well as the step by step process.

As I’ve been researching more about the Bridge of Hope organization, I have learned that the success stories make the organization what it is today and give it a positive reputation. For example, according to their website (http://www.bridgeofhopeinc.org/template/article.cfm?article_id=29) one mother, Ellen, had such a wonderful experience with the organization she now advocates for it and wrote about it. She said, ”I was in dire need of housing and employment,” she says.  “I left a bad situation with only my faith, my children and the clothes on my back.” “I was desperate, so I started working a 28 – 32 hour a week job at a drugstore for $6.50/hour.  But the rent was $650 a month so you do the math!”  Also according to the website, “Rental assistance through Bridge of Hope helped Ellen make it while she looked for a better paying job.  She now earns $11/hour scheduling appointments for an insurance company.  Money is tight, but she stretches every dollar through her unwavering commitment to budgeting.” The organization provided her with support, forced her to grow up and see reality, and gave her hope that her life could be turned around. Reading about this reinforced why I feel passionate about this organization and why it is such an important social issue. As we discussed in one of our readings about argument communities, this Bridge of Hope community has a collective and social nature with socially defined norms trying to appeal to the consciousness of the community. The religious aspect to it adds to its norms and gives it a unique nature for all those who join.

As I’ve been researching more about the Bridge of Hope organization, I have learned that the success stories make the organization what it is today and give it a positive reputation. For example, according to their website (http://www.bridgeofhopeinc.org/template/article.cfm?article_id=29) one mother, Ellen, had such a wonderful experience with the organization she now advocates for it and wrote about it. She said, ”I was in dire need of housing and employment,” she says.  “I left a bad situation with only my faith, my children and the clothes on my back.” “I was desperate, so I started working a 28 – 32 hour a week job at a drugstore for $6.50/hour.  But the rent was $650 a month so you do the math!”  Also according to the website, “Rental assistance through Bridge of Hope helped Ellen make it while she looked for a better paying job.  She now earns $11/hour scheduling appointments for an insurance company.  Money is tight, but she stretches every dollar through her unwavering commitment to budgeting.” The organization provided her with support, forced her to grow up and see reality, and gave her hope that her life could be turned around. Reading about this reinforced why I feel passionate about this organization and why it is such an important social issue. As we discussed in one of our readings about argument communities, this Bridge of Hope community has a collective and social nature with socially defined norms trying to appeal to the consciousness of the community. The religious aspect to it adds to its norms and gives it a unique nature for all those who join.

Hi All! My name is Mikaela Hostetter and I’ll be a senior at JMU in the fall. I’m a Communications major with a Spanish minor, and studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain last spring, which was the most wonderful experience. I’m from Lancaster, PA, where I currently live, and am enjoying being home for the summer. I have 3 sibilings, and two nephews who are the most adorable little boys! My family and friends mean everything to me and I feel lucky to have them in my life. I enjoy spending time with friends, reading, walking, swimming, campfires, the beach, watching sports, and love JMU!!

The issue I’ve decided to advocate for is called Bridge of Hope, and it is an organization that helps homeless single women and children. It brings professional staff and church-based mentoring groups together to empower homeless and at-risk single mothers to attain permanent housing, financial self-sufficiency through employment, life-changing friendships, and increased self-esteem and growth in holistic living. It was established in 2002, and now there are 16 Bridge of Hope affiliates in seven states. I first learned of Bridge of Hope when my mom became a board member and sponser. I remember thinking that helping out single mothers by mentoring through churches and showing friendship is one of the easiset and simplest ways to help out those in need. This issue is important to me because I believe in organizations that want to change people’s lives in a positive way. Not only does this organization benefit single mothers, but it benefits all of their children as well. One in 50 children experience homelessness each year in the U.S., and Bridge of Hope does everything it can to narrow those numbers by providing for these families. I think the issue of homelessness, especially in single parent families, should be important to everyone because it is a problem, especially in these economic times. Giving money and sponsoring Bridge of Hope is not the only way to help out, but just being in a church where a single mother through Bridge of Hope can be mentored and spending time with them also helps, and I believe that most people should want the world to become a better healthier place by helping those less fortunate than themselves.

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